Somali pirates now protect illegal fishing ships

NAIROBI, Kenya 
A United Nations reports says that Somali pirates have turned to a new business model: Transporting weapons and providing "security" for ships illegally plundering Somalia's fish stocks - the same scourge that launched the Horn of Africa's piracy era eight years ago.

The U.N. report quotes officials in the northern Somali region of Puntland who estimate that up to 180 illegal Iranian and 300 illegal Yemeni vessels are fishing waters in northern Somalia and some are getting protection from men who previously worked as pirates.

The success rate of Somali pirate attacks has fallen dramatically over the last year due to increased security on ships and more effective international naval patrols.